photo via TrippedMedia

The internet is abuzz today about news posted by Gothamist that there were 4 subway-related deaths this weekend. The story is sickening and gruesome to read, as it includes a quote from an EMT that describes the varying types of death-by-subway scenarios that emergency responders encounter. It’s a scary thought, but it happens and we should all exercise caution when we hear Carolyn Hopkins’ voice tell us to “stand away from the platform edge.”

In October, The Village Voice compiled a Q&A with a Subway Conductor as found on Reddit. Below is his advice of what to do if you fall on the tracks:

“The best thing you can do is run as far down the platform as you can (in the opposite direction from where the train enters the station) and wave your arms frantically to get the train operator and passenger’s attention. Believe me, the passengers WILL be doing the exact same thing, as nobody wants to see you get run over and their train get delayed. If you can get to the far end of the platform, it gives the train more room to stop, and there is a ladder at the end of each platform where you can climb back up — do NOT try to climb up from where you are. So many people have been killed trying to jump back up rather than getting away from the entrance end of the station.

Do NOT trust the pits between the tracks — they are often right next to the third rail which can be just as dangerous (and note that the wooden planks are not designed to hold a human’s weight – they are there to protect the energized rail from drips and weather) and the train operator is less likely to see you if you’re in there. And don’t duck under the train, because most stations do not have enough clearance for the average human. And do NOT jump down onto the tracks to try to save someone else. The best thing you can do is run on the platform towards the tunnel where the train enters so you can get the operator’s attention sooner. Waving your arms over the tracks will tell the operator to stop immediately.”

via Jezebel and Alexander McAdams

Imagine if content on the internet was restricted and censored. So just anybody couldn’t put anything they want online. Does that not defeat the purpose of the internet as a medium for sharing information? The world wide web would loose it’s zest, it’s allure, it’s personality. Today, numerous sites are restricting information as a signal for you to pay attention and take action.

“Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.” (Take from Google)

Take action by signing the Google petition or contacting your Representative before he votes on Jan 24th. 

If passed, these bills would do more than end piracy. Click to read the House bill summary and the Senate bill summary.

*UPDATE: Members of Congress speak out

GOOGLE:

FACEBOOK:

WORDPRESS:

INFORMATIVE GOOGLE INFOGRAPHIC (click to enlarge)

MANHATTAN USER’S GUIDE NEWSLETTER:

BUZZFEED:

WIRED:

CRAIGSLIST:

OPEN LETTER FROM MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION (via Buzzfeed)

See other site blackouts on Buzzfeed.

The human condition to ban together against a common enemy and for a common cause.

The flaws in the US Justice System…and the farce of innocent until proven guilty. 

Jason Baldwin with Paradise Lost Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. Left: 1994. Right: 2010, photo by Jonathan Silberberg

Last night I saw a screening of Paradise Lost 3 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. This is third instillation of documentaries about the conviction and imprisonment of three men known now as the West Memphis Three.

The story of Damien Echols, Jesse Misskelly, and Jason Baldwin is tragic, unbelievable and enraging if you read it (which you should). But after seeing the film last night, I literally have not stopped thinking about their story. And the story of others like them.

If you have HBO, watch it tomorrow night. If you never see another documentary as long as you live, watch it. 1/12/11 @ 9pm.

Don't go all "Shining" on your roommates....take advantage of this list of things to keep you sane.

1. Watch New York: A Documentary Film by Ric Burns. This epic saga chronicles the history of New Amsterdam in 14 1/2 hours of wonderfully edited, beautifully shot footage.  If you can’t get your hands on the seven part series, check out some clips on Youtube to get a quick taste of New York’s past. (At least until the power goes.)

2. Play games. Monopoly. Clue. Even a good old fashion deck of playing cards. Rock paper scissors. Charades. The possibilities are limitless. Or have a limit of at least a few hours.

3. Finally finish a New York Times crossword puzzle. When have you literally had nothing else to do but think about number 18 across?  Now’s your chance to prove to the world and yourself that you really are as clever as you say you are.

4. Test your New York City trivia. This site has tons of quizzes on New York City stuff, so test your wits and learn something new about the city that never sleeps, even in a hurricane.  Again, it only lasts if the power does, so start out with this.

5. Draw your own New Yorker cartoons. Strengthen your funny bone and hone your artistic abilities by drafting up some cartoons inspired by the prestigious publication known for having the best around.  Check out the latest toons from this week’s issue for inspiration.

6. Make a list of things to do…before you die. Set some goals. Get your priorities straight. And figure out what you want to do with your life.

7. Design your next tattoo. Always said you’d get one if you just knew what to get and where to put it? Well, now’s  your chance to ponder the question–for a long time.  At the end of Irene, you’ll be sure if you want to be inked, pierced, burned, scratched, pinched, tripped, or just plain slapped in the face.

8. Clean.  My roomie suggested that we take advantage of being holed up this Sunday and really deep clean the apartment. You know, it’s not a bad idea. When you’re stocking up on water, canned food, and puppy pads, grab some Clorox while you’re at it.

9. Read. You know there are at least 3 books you’ve been saying you’re about to read as soon as you’ve got the time. Well, lucky you because now like a Rolling Stone, “tiiime is on your side.” Hit up Barnes and Noble (before there are none left) and grab a couple of books.

10. Write. Pen? Check! Paper? You bet! Candlelight? Yes sir! When you need a break from that book you just bought, take a time out to start that novel you’ve been talking about since high school. Get inspired by the classic mood. You can even use a quill pen and ink (I suspect you can purchase at B&N) or just make your own.

11. Knit a sweater for your dog (or mine). City pooches can’t be seen on the sidewalk unless they’re well-dressed. So take advantage of this day inside to work on your doggy’s wardrobe.  Don’t have a dog? Well, I do. So make something and send it my way.

Funny thing. Having grown up 1/2 a mile from the Gulf of Mexico, I’ve only ever experienced the direct hit of a hurricane. I’m all too familiar with the routine of stocking up, boarding the windows, waiting for the storm surge, running outside (or being dragged out by my dad) during the eye of the storm, losing power for a few days, then back to that other routine of everyday life. But not until now have I been on the path of its remnants.

Of course, this Monday marks the 6 year anniversary of the last storm I experienced: the mammoth commonly known as Hurricane Katrina. Down there, we call it The Hurricane or The Storm. I guess its strength automatically deemed it a proper noun. But really after that storm, can there ever be another? In the minds of many on the Gulf Coast, its hard to imagine that anything could compare.

So now, coming up on my 5th anniversary as a New Yorker, I find myself reverting to old behavior—-planning for the worst so that whatever happens, it won’t be nearly as bad as expected. I’ve got my supply list for Kmart. I’m monitoring Hurricane Central. But the strange part of this scenario is that I’m the only one transitioning into the regular routine.  No one I’ve come to know in the city has been through a hurricane. This is a mind boggling factoid for me to digest. Since we aren’t taking a direct hit, most people are unconcerned.

The truth is though that the National Weather Service predicts that by the time it gets to New York, it may still be a Category One. The worse I expect is potential power loss and to have to stay bunkered down for a day. But I’m shocked to hear people think they can still run errands, go to the gym, and get to work. This seems like common sense to me, but stay inside. Not just to stay dry, but because it’s dangerous.

This July for mom’s birthday, I found a site that makes inexpensive canvas art prints and had one of these photographs converted. Now she has a piece of the Domino with her in Mississippi.

What began in a roach-infested Chinatown office in is now one of the most influential pop culture sites on the internet. Buzzfeed is everything viral in real time. With unrivaled coverage of such major events as the Tsunami in Japan, Buzzfeed represents a web-savvy generation who knows how to get as close to a story as possible without even having to be there. The editors let the internet work for them by utilizing such sites as Tumblr and Twitter to find first-hand accounts and photographs before traditional reporters have even reached the scene.

One of Buzzfeed’s Senior Editors, Matt Stopera, has been working at the site for three years. He is the top-poster on the site, and believes that he has mastered the “weird science” of knowing what to post and when to post it. “I’ve tried it all, and I know what not to waste my time on,” Matt told me when we met for coffee near their Soho office.  When Matt started as a Buzzfeed intern, the offices were in Chinatown. It was a true start-up. There were rats in the offices and cockroaches on the backs of computer monitors. The site itself also very different back then: it was a trend site; there were no comments. The original staff of 11 people is now close to 35.

Posting buzz-worthy content may not seem like rocket-science, but the ability to know how to make something clickable is not a gift that everyone is born with. Internet memes are random and unpredictable (see Nigel Thornberry). Matt says that nostalgia is huge on the internet. And nostalgia for a majority of internet users equals the ‘90s. Matt’s post “40 Things That Will Make You Feel Old” targeted users in their mid-twenties and it was his biggest post in terms of traffic.

Another of Matt’s most successful posts was “The 100 Best Signs At The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear.” With 112,916 “Likes” on Facebook, it was one of the most “liked” articles of that year. Matt says this post was his most time consuming to date.

The senior editor has been pop culture obsessed from a young age (see him as a preteen on MTV). If the internet is in Matt’s blood, then it makes sense that his little brother Dave also contributes to Buzzfeed as a summer intern. Not only do they look alike, but he says they post alike also–although Matt has dibs on the topics in his editorial beat (he’s the “Protest Sign guy,” the “Natural Disaster guy,” the “Guy Who Hates Chris Brown”). Lucky he has found the perfect place to put his sense of humor and the web to good use. In fact, in response to being asked how he likes his job, Matt said, “I get to do whatever I want all day! I love it!”

To the Editor:

Ever since Natalie Portman was billed as a real-life ballet prodigy thanks to the film Black Swan, ballet has been the flavor of the week among celebrities, fashion brands, and apparently a slew of women across the country looking for the next fitness fad. There are unrealistic expectations that if an average person trains for a year like Portman, then he can dance alongside principles at NYC Ballet and ABT or at least look like he can. That movie has done more harm than good for the combination performing art/athletic endeavor that is dance.  Found in the Fashion and Style section of the New York Times—a newspaper section which features articles about weddings, dining, and home & garden—“Lining Up to the Barre” is written by a reporter who obviously believes a person’s ballet credentials can be proven by not by her ability to perform a slowly executed develope a la seconde, but by her ability to properly pronounce the phrase.

In “Lining Up,” Kayleen Shaefer cites Pure Barre as one of many up-and-coming ballet based workout studios—the founder and CEO of Pure Barre cites a formal education from two universities on the studio’s official Web site, yet mentions no professional dance training of any kind. The founder of Bar Method, another studio noted, is an exercise and fitness guru and indicates absolutely no dance training. And don’t even get me started on “dance classes” at Equinox, which are referenced in “Lining Up” as trend evidence of the growing popularity of barre classes.

To achieve a ballet body, you don’t have to attend a master class with “steely competitors” or even string-bean bunheads who happen to have elastic limbs. There are countless actual ballet studios in New York City with classes that cater to the very basic beginner. I agree, it’s quite impressive to be taught by a former New York City Ballet dancer-turned-trainer of Natalie Portman. But real studios like Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, and Dance New Amsterdam only employ former-professionals with resumes to boot whose classes are half the price of the “barre classes” described in Shaefer’s article.

While I trained for over a decade in my Gulf Coast hometown and during some summers in New York, I make no claim to be a professional ballet dancer. I am however an individual passionate about an art form—one that is crafted by a lifetime of rigorous training in which many physical and social sacrifices are made. I doubt the Times would purport that the body of an Olympic swimmer can be achieved through weekly 45-minute private pool sessions. Or that one could possess musculature of an NHL hockey player through Monday night skates at Chelsea piers. Ballet dancers deserve the long overdue respect that countless other professional athletes receive. Dance is more than Fashion & Style; in fact I’d wager that those words don’t even play into the ballet vocabulary of those who have devoted their entire lives to training.

Toni Cruthirds
Brooklyn, NY
May 18, 2011